epoch
by ryomarufuji
Summary: In the beginning, the Light of Destruction and the Gentle Darkness were split apart; With it too were the planes of existence that separates humans and spirits. Shou Marufuji finds himself caught in between. Rewritten and remastered version of Epoch/Cerulean Stories.
1. The Renewed King of Games

**A/N**: here I am rewriting the first chapter of this bullshit story for like the fifth time. the next chapter is almost done by the way. fuck my writing.

also how have y'all been doin' these past two years? is anyone even here anymore that originally read this. probably not. either way, here's a quick rundown of what happens in this chapter: Shou relearns the names of his friends and family and passes his high school entrance exam for the second time all with a hangover, Rei is an important character, Ryo is a drama queen, and Alexis can't understand why her best friend is suddenly so suspicious of his seemingly harmless and upbeat younger brother. more at 11.

* * *

><p>"You lost, Shou!"<p>

Grinning happily, Rei flips her long dark hair and inches Shou's drink toward him. "That means you need to down it. Sorry, I don't make the rules."

Shou snorts and replies, "You _literally_ made the rules, though."

"Yeah, but you agreed!"

Both Rei and Asuka laugh at him as he chugs his third beer and tries his best not to laugh along with them. For the past couple of hours, he's been dueling Asuka at the bar like he's done so many times before. The only difference tonight is that Rei decided to show up, and drinking with Rei means that there's always some game going to be played. Not that he really minds - he actually really enjoys drinking with his friends. Still, she's absolutely brutal. Honestly, he's so glad he's gotten to be the duelist he is today, or he'd have already passed out from the times he knows he probably would have lost had he not improved.

Rei stays on the sidelines and cheers for whoever she wants to at the time, which pretty much always depends on who buys the drinks. Since today that person is Asuka, it's no surprise they're ganging up on him.

It _has_ been some time since she's been so happy, though. Recently, Rei's looked considerably worn down. Of course, Shou knows the reasons behind it, but there isn't much he can say to help, no matter how much he wants to. Shou is fairly sure he's the only one she's talked to outside of the past few nights. Their friends have been in town, at least, and only because of the two of them. Seeing everyone from when they were back in high school is incredibly refreshing and thankfully is allowing Rei to go back to the upbeat and cheery person she used to be.

The little reunion really has raised everyone's spirits. It feels almost like they're in high school again.

"Let's go again," teases Asuka. "You might be ahead, but you're still going _down_ this time."

* * *

><p>Shou Marufuji is an anxious young man.<p>

Because of this, he tends to be uncertain about almost everything.

He is, however, absolutely convinced of a select few facts. The first is that Judai Yuki is one of the best duelists to ever have lived. The second is that Rei Saotome cannot keep a boyfriend for more than two weeks. Also, not a day goes by that Ryo does not have at least one cup of coffee, regardless of what his doctor and considerably more intelligent younger brother tell him. These are obvious and unimportant facts and they do not have any actual serious impact on Shou's life. That is, after all, the reason he's so sure of those things - if he ends up being wrong, it isn't the end of the world, because they aren't very significant. His uncertainty is what keeps him calm; so long that he does not believe anything to be irrefutable, nothing will be detrimental to his mind. Or his heart rate, for that matter.

Some things have happened that he'll never understand, and he accepts that fully. He'd long since started believing "it's magic" to be a perfectly reasonable explanation for the majority of strange occurrences in his life. Those sort of explanations, the ones where he can't actually prove them wrong or right, are comforting.

Shou Marufuji is an anxious young man.

For that reason, it doesn't take longer than a couple of seconds for him to realize that something is definitely _wrong_ and to begin jumping to the worst conclusions possible when he wakes up somewhere he doesn't immediately recognize. His first thought is, _oh god, I've been kidnapped_, but that doesn't make much sense because his apartment has alarms all over and his doors have multiple locks and, regardless of his size, he's still a _grown man_. First of all, kidnapping a grown man makes absolutely no sense. Second of all, he likely wouldn't be in a comfortable bed if that were the case. Also, if anyone wanted to kidnap a grown man, wouldn't they choose the one with the severe heart condition? Not to undermine his older brother's physical capabilities, since he certainly could still put up a fight, but it logically speaking would be the smart choice.

So, he hasn't been kidnapped. He's just in a room he doesn't know and on a bed he doesn't know.

Instantly, Shou searches his mind for the last thing he was doing. He was...

Oh, no. He went out for a drink and a friendly duel with Asuka.

At that thought, he immediately is on his feet, and he swears he will never forget what he sees. To be specific, he sees his old bedroom from his parent's house.

Shaking his head, Shou thinks of a million possible things that could have happened last night. Maybe he got too drunk and called his parents - except, no, he can remember that they called just a few weeks ago and informed him that they were going out of town for a couple of weeks. Maybe he just walked to his parents house - except, no, the bar is around three miles from their house and he highly doubts that he could possibly walk that distance while drunk. Plus, his room looks exactly the same as it did before he went to high school, and that was a long time ago. That leaves one solution.

Somebody's playing a practical joke on him. That's the only explanation. It's probably Asuka or Rei, since they're the last two he saw. In an attempt to steady himself, he stands again and brings a hand up to his aching head. He's _really_ not in the mood for this. Asuka is always the one complaining about hangovers - shouldn't she know how terrible it is to play a joke on someone going through one? He's _so_ going to kill her when he sees her. Or maybe just give her a light scolding. God, she's lucky she's cute.

He realizes when there's a light bang to his right that something has fallen, something that had gotten tangled up in the sheets. So, he pulls it up and shakes it out, retrieving it quietly and recognizing it as his deck. Right, because he dueled Asuka a couple of times at the bar. It doesn't look like his deck, though, because it's the exact same one he had when he was younger and not the one he's used to. He's almost a hundred percent sure Asuka's behind this, even if it seems a bit out of character for her. Would she do something like this? Come on, he thinks to himself, isn't there something else he remembers about last night? He might have been drunk, but he wasn't _that_ drunk. In a panic, he feels around for his phone, and is relieved to find the small device in his pocket. Immediately, he flips to his contacts.

Almost every number in his phone is gone. Plus, it seems like he only has contact with the people he'd had communication with before high school.

Okay, so Asuka _really_ went far with this prank. Or it isn't a prank. One of the two. Still, he's got the numbers of all of his friends memorized, and he types in her familiar number with his heart ramming his chest.

He's so close to hitting the button that calls her, but just before he can, there's a knock on his door and a woman's loud voice that he doesn't recognize.

"Honey, it's time for you to get ready. This is an important day, so you can't use your anxiety to get out of it!" She chimed, humming lightly afterwards.

Probably two minutes passes before he puts his phone back in his pocket. There's no way this is a prank. Something is definitely off, and no amount of planning in such a short amount of time could possibly allow anyone to pull such an elaborate ruse. First of all, why is some woman speaking English to him? Second, how can he understand her? Third, why is she acting like his mother? Also, why is he in his old room in his parent's house? Then, like a punch to the gut, it dawns on him. Even though it doesn't make a whole lot of sense and even though it doesn't really match up with reality, it's the only thing that he can think of. And, honestly, he can't imagine why he didn't think of this sooner.

He's in the past, right? That doesn't explain why he just heard and understood English, but other than that, it makes sense.

Quietly, he stands, but almost trips over the blue jumpsuit on the floor. He throws off his now uncomfortable outfit since it doesn't fit to his body perfectly like it had before, which is weird. Opening his door and stepping into the bathroom, he immediately realizes why. Right there, in his reflection, is a younger version of himself. He still looks hungover and tired as all hell, though. Once he's slipped on the blue jumpsuit and freshened up, he steps back into his bedroom to look for his old glasses. Sure enough, they're right on his nightstand. Now, with his deck from his childhood strapped to his side, he falls back onto the bed and closes his eyes, trying his best to process and accept his situation in all of his grogginess. Considering the idea that he _is _in the past, there are a few things he needs to get straight. All of his achievements. All of his developments. All of his friendships. All simply thrown away because he's in the past.

For a moment, he hopes he can just fall asleep and wake up back where everything makes sense. His mind is racing, though, and he's just about wide awake now. And, just like that, he's out his door to figure out exactly what had happened. Now downstairs, he notices his mother working on breakfast. At the smell of eggs and bacon, his stomach growls, even though he still feels sick for a number of reasons. He can't get away with just not eating, though. She didn't seem to notice him there yet, but her head turns and she smiles when he sits down at their dining table.

"Syrus! You know you don't have to wake up this early for the exam, right? It doesn't start until nine," she says in a playfully scolding voice. With a quiet groan of exasperation, he realizes that she has the same voice as the woman who knocked on his bedroom door. She'd said the same thing when he first went to take the dueling portion of the exam. Shou has always had a habit of arriving at places far earlier than need be, if only out of fear that he might be late on accident. It's something that he's carried on with him into his adult life, and it's actually helped him in the long run.

"Well, if you didn't want me to wake up this early, you could have said something about it," he replied in a raspy voice while rubbing his eyes.

That shuts her up for a moment, and he almost apologizes before she speaks again. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that. Are you feeling okay?"

Oh, _duh_. His mother has always pushed him to be a more confident person. It's no surprise that she would assume something is wrong with him when he suddenly starts acting this way. Is there _anything_ he can do right this morning? "I'm fine, just groggy," he replies. Then, he considers solving the only problem he can actually do anything about at the moment. "Can I have some coffee?"

For what feels like the millionth time, Shou's mother looks at him as if he's grown a second head. "You want coffee? Are you _sure_ you're feeling fine?"

"I am!" he insists. "I'm just tired, is all. Can I?"

She hums lightly, then smiles. "All right, hun. But don't drink it too often - you might get addicted! You don't want milk in it, right?"

Shou decidedly ignores the comment about addiction and nods his head. "Right. Milk is gross."

"You should still drink it," she scolds. "It might help your...size."

A comment about his height? Rude. But he's almost done eating and is heading out the door before she can ask him any more questions. Standing up and heading out the door, he feels the fatigue finally wear off and his speed increase when he hears the people of his town speaking English, making him early. Or, at least, earlier than usual. When will he see Judai again? Right, just before Misawa will finish his duel with the proctors. Then, they'll meet, and if Shou is right, his name will be changed. What else is changed? Does everyone have a different name and voice? The reality that Shou knows is incredibly different from the reality in his...world. It isn't his, it can't be. Too much is different. So, he needs to get out. But he has no idea of how, so he can only continue as he is now.

* * *

><p>Immediately, he enters the line just outside of the dueling arena.<p>

Once he's at the front, though, he almost has a heart attack at what he hears the man behind the desk say. "Name."

"Oh - uh, Syrus."

"Last name, Truesdale?"

Maybe? "Yes."

Just like that, he's in. At least he knows his last name now.

Some have already dueled, and the area is mostly filled with new recruits and old students. He sees them on the balcony as he walks in. Asuka and his brother, the former leaning over the bars and the latter standing tall with his arms crossed. Narrowing his eyes at Asuka, he tries to find something, anything, that can tell him that she remembers him at all. Of course, though, she might anyway. She and Ryo are already good friends, so her recognizing anything about him wouldn't prove anything. He finds a seat in the view of them. He has so much time before his duel. So, he looks around.

Everyone unfortunately looks the same as they had when he first saw them. Asuka is still a youthful and budding young woman, nowhere near as mature as she had looked just the night before.

Ryo looks...healthy. And, for once, not tired. He also seems calm and composed. All good things.

Horribly bored, Shou decides to relax a little and get his mind off of things, laying his head back and closing his eyes. Woken in what feels just like five minutes later with a nudge, he looks to the boy beside him. It's someone at the academy, he remembers. A Ra Yellow. But Shou never got to know his name. "You're Syrus Truesdale, right? I'm Elijah Smith. I'm up next, but I think you're right after me, because...you were signed up before me." He says, finishing quietly. He's a shy boy, which makes Shou instinctively smile. "So, uh, thought I'd wake you up before - "

"Examinee Number 120, Elijah Smith," The overhead voice puts simply.

"Ah," and he's off, giving a small smile beforehand. There's chatter, so much noise, but Shou's used to noise. They're the voices of his future classmates, he recognizes. He touches the deck at his side, and winces when he realizes that he can't use his Cyberdroid Deck, since it isn't here. Either way, his brother would notice sooner or later if he actually had the deck, and that would be terrible. Absolutely horrible. But it still hurts Shou to know that he doesn't even have it, because that's what reminds him of their relationship. The relationship that's exactly the same as it had been seven years ago.

He's up after Elijah, the English speaking boy. Well, everyone can speak English, and apparently so can he, to some extent. He could swear on his life that it isn't his voice, but what's the point? Syrus Truesdale is his name now. And how is his Japanese, anyway? Can he even speak it? He searches his mind, and it's completely blank. He can't even remember his own native language, and it's actually scary as hell.

Now, he can tell that the duel is almost over. Nobody else would be able to, but he remembers watching the boy intensely the first time around to figure out when he needed to go up, unprepared when he'd been called up sooner than he'd expected. He remembers scoring terribly low on the test. But that's how it was then. He'd study and study the nights before due to his test anxiety, stay up for hours, and then fall asleep during the test. Even if his scores didn't show it, inwardly, Shou had been a near genius. Then, there's his dueling anxiety. He used to be unable to concentrate with everyone watching him, all the eyes, all the stares, which is why he's developed a fear of staring straight into a person's eyes.

He feels that now. And if he tried running, all they'd do is take him back. Or fail him immediately.

Then, as his name is called up, or his new name - "Examinee Number 119, Syrus Truesdale," - another emotion rages through him as he stands quietly with an uncharacteristically fierce expression. Like he can take on anything,

That's probably because he knows what will happen. All he needs to focus on is to remember what his old deck is like. He's confident. Everything is more right than it was the first time around, and for once, he feels good in the spotlight.

But once he catches the eyes of his brother, the feeling automatically fades into confusion and sadness and happiness and every other emotion that he can name. He feels his head is going to split open from the number of terrifying feelings he's experiencing. Watching his brother get turned to a doll for him. Watching his brother destroy himself and try to bring him down with him. Watching his brother die. Getting him back to his feet. Becoming the superior, someone for his brother to look up to, someone for his brother to admire, someone for Ryo Marufuji to acknowledge as an equal and more. All of that progress is gone now. And then anger overflows all other emotions as he almost stomps his feet down the stairs and clenches his fists, glaring at the floor, unsure of what or who exactly to be furious at.

It's the angriest he's ever dueled, and he almost feels apologetic to the proctor after he wins in just a few turns.

Asuka stares straight at him with amusement. He'd learn her name later. Shou's sure that they're all different and decides to shrug it off. Oh, well, at least not much else is changed. Names, languages, voices, the people at the very least are still all the same, so why does it matter? Perhaps the duel forced him to let off a bit of steam.

Waiting in the registration hall is time-consuming, very much so, but he's soon back in the arena. Carefully, he looks straight into the dark pools again.

His brother's eyes never go back to him, but it's easy to still feel like he's drowning in them. Soon enough, he notices the duels fly by as they continue to stay in their positions. Dammit, why isn't Ryo looking at him? It's a little bit aggravating, but also comforting, since it would be a little awkward if he did. He's so preoccupied with staring at his brother that he doesn't even realize he's been sitting there for another hour until he hears a familiar name.

"Examinee Number 1, Bastion Misawa!"

Misawa! And he finally breaks the gaze, changing his posture to focus on the second-to-last duel, or at least to pretend like he's focusing. It isn't that difficult, and he loses himself in the duel. They go back and forth, barely loosing life points, and then, they come to a standstill as the proctor announces that he was to win, that Daichi Misawa of all people could not bypass this strategy. As if! Misawa is one of the best duelists at the school. He's so focused on the duel that he barely even notices the boy next to him rudely bumping into him and excitedly chattering.

Shou comes back to reality quickly when he sees the brown hair and eyes. "Wow, that last guy really tore it up." Oh, Judai is talking now. And just like that Shou's smile returns.

"Y-yeah...I think his name was Bastion Misawa." It still feels strange to speak, but everything feels a lot more natural around Judai. "He got the highest score on our written exam."

"Wow," Judai says in disbelief, "I just barely passed."

Shou nods, physically signifying that he had barely passed, as well. Talking isn't turning out to be his favorite pastime. It's even worse than it had been before. He felt weird talking to new people before, but now, talking to the same people is straight up uncomfortable, and makes him feel like he's just taken a step backwards in more ways than one. "I'm..." There's a need to introduce himself, but how? With what name? He is Shou Marufuji, not Syrus Truesdale. Not here, though. Here, he is Syrus. Calling himself anything else would cause all sorts of problems. "I'm Syrus. I get...test anxiety." Or anxiety in general. Either works. "But I passed the match, at least."

Judai promptly slaps him on the back as he did before. "So, you're in!" He lets out a chuckle before continuing. "I'll be in, too, as soon as I win my duel!" Pointing to himself for emphasis, he makes Shou realize and remember what had happened.

"A-ah...you might have missed your chance. Misawa was the last to duel," He explains in as few words as possible. And just then, the boy in question walks up to their row and sits down without a word. At least, until Judai opens his mouth.

"Tight duel, Bastion!" Is what Judai says.

"Thank you," is Misawa's response, quick and professional, just like how he would be to any stranger. Stranger. The word hurts.

"From the looks of it, you might just be the second best duelist here!" And with that, Shou smiles at Judai's reply.

"Jaden Yuki, please report to exam field four," the bored announcer states.

Jaden. Not Judai. He'll have to make a mental note of that, somehow. And Judai - wait - Jaden - has already taken off to go and fight against Professor Chronos, and win, presumably, as he had before. There's a sort of silence between Shou and Misawa as the physically younger boy considers the possibilities of his situation again. He's in the past somehow - that, or he's in some alternate universe. In that case, how did he get here? Did someone send him here? Is it someone he knows? Too many variables are in this problem and he's wondering if finding a solution is even possible.

There _is_ a guy Shou knows who's pretty good at solving problems, though, and he's sitting right there.

"Misawa," He begins.

"Mm? Yes?"

At least this accent might take a bit less getting used to than Jaden's. Shou refrains from imagining everyone else's possible accents, but only barely. Asuka's, his brother's, Manjoume's...

"Do you..." Forcing himself to start over, he spouts out with more confidence, "...who am I?"

Misawa sits back to think. "I don't know," he replies decidedly.

"Oh." Shou isn't quite sure what he was expecting. "I'm Syrus Truesdale. Something tells me you and Jaden are going to get along quite well."

After a moment, Misawa nods in agreement. "I was thinking the same thing. He's interesting, isn't he?"

He doesn't turn his head or reply until Jaden wins the duel against their professor. Misawa looks on in surprise, along with everyone else. Asuka is amazed, eyes sparkling. For some reason, Ryo simply walks away. Manjoume's shocked expression almost makes Shou fall over laughing. It's almost like a silence washes over half of the arena as Jaden bows way too many times and waves to the audience. Just like how Judai was, Jaden is excitable and upbeat and childish - it's like absolutely nothing is different!

With a smile growing wide on his face, Shou lightly taps Misawa on the shoulder. "He is very interesting," his grin reaches his eyes. "I have a feeling he'll get a lot _more_ interesting, too."

* * *

><p>"I'm telling you, Alexis, he's different."<p>

"And I'm telling _you_ that you're paranoid."

For the past hour or so, Alexis and Zane have been debating about the anomaly that is Syrus Truesdale. Zane's always been a suspicious person, but going as far as to suspect your own younger brother of strange behavior? That's going a bit too far in Alexis's book. Apparently, Zane has never seen his brother duel so emotionally and so well at the same time. For that matter, he's never seen Syrus duel that well at all.

Who cares, though? Why does it seriously matter this much? Honestly, Alexis swears that she will never understand the priorities of her best friend.

"You haven't seen him in three years," she reasons. "So what if he's different?"

Zane shakes his head in automatic rejection. "No, he can't be this different. Something dramatic must have happened."

All she can think to do is sigh in response. "And? What are you going to do about it?"

Without another glance at her, he turns to go downstairs, likely to get ready for departure and a return to Academy Island. "I'm going to figure out what it is."


	2. Welcome (Back) to Duel Academy

**A/N**: this took around a million years to write by the way. but anyway take it.

I'd like to clarify that when I first started this story, I had no actual plan. be aware that I have a legitimate plan this time around. also, I'm actively working on this story and almost completely ignoring my other ones. apparently it's working out in my favor. in this chapter: Misawa is unimportant, Chazz is a colossal douchebag, Banner is a pretty cool dude, and Alexis is a responsible human being.

* * *

><p>"<em>Attention, new Duel Academy students..."<em>

He's seen stranger.

Really, he has! And it isn't really that big of a deal if he's traveled back in time - in fact, since he can remember everything, he may be at an advantage. It's an unfair advantage that he isn't exactly happy about having, but it is an advantage nonetheless. Shou's stomach churns as his mind races, fearing everything at once,_ what if I'm stuck here forever? _But, of course, he can't be, because time will move on, and he will eventually become three years older than he actually is. He really isn't looking forward to repeating high school, though. High school was...eventful. He can't really say if it was a good time in his life or a horrible, terrifying time. He doesn't even know anymore. This whole time travel thing is almost like something he'd see in a T.V. show. Or a movie.

"_Now, now, I know you're excited, but don't shove."_

Or, better yet, a train wreck.

"_Now, then, fasten your seat belts..."_

He's sitting quietly on the plane, looking down upon the sea and noticing the island get closer and closer. The island that he spent three years on. The island that he might have to spend three more years on - correction: the island that he might have to spend _the same three years on_. Suddenly, Shou feels tired and his headache is back. Even though he's only twenty-three, mentally, he feels old. Physically, he's...younger? Wait, he's fifteen. Almost sixteen, to be exact. He might have to do a background check on himself or something.

Shou wonders briefly about Jaden and glances over. Not _Judai_, but_ Jaden_. Nearly nothing is different, sure, but it is only the first day. And he isn't even on the island yet.

He hasn't even gotten to the academy and he's already exhausted.

"_Next stop: Academy Island."_

* * *

><p>It's around midnight when Rei calls him up.<p>

He's not tired yet, but it's still a bit strange that she would be awake at this time. "Shou? Is it you?"

"Yes," he says immediately.

For some reason, she lets out a shaky sigh of relief. "I'm glad it's you," she says quietly. "Somehow I doubt Ryo would be able to help. You were Judai's best friend, though, right?"

Something gets caught in his throat at the mention of Judai. Barely anyone would bring the man up around Shou. It still hurts that his best friend left everyone to pursue the world with his literal soul-mate. Somehow, it feels a little like he's abandoned his friends. It's not like that, though, Shou has to constantly remind himself. Judai can do what he wants. He's an adult, and as an adult with a life and a love, he needs to make his own decisions. Even if those decisions end up separating him from the rest of his friends, people move on. It's just a fact of life. Still, still...

"Yeah. I guess I was. And?"

"And," she puts emphasis on the word in an impatient tone. "You probably understand weird things better than almost anyone."

That doesn't sound good. "Weird things? Have weird things been happening?"

"Yeah," her voice gets shaky, as if she's nodding her head frantically. "With Martin. We're great friends, but he talked to me a little while back about a...problem he's been having."

Just like that, it feels like he's in high school again as she explains what's specifically wrong with Martin. For some reason, people he's been speaking to have begun acting strangely - mainly, they have begun acting like zombies. It gives Shou flashbacks to the incident with the Duel Zombies. That makes no sense, though, because the Death Belts no longer exist. If Duel Zombies were to exist, there would have to be some sort of outside influence. Unfortunately, that outside influence would have to come from someone who has a considerable amount of power.

Power means magic. Magic almost never means good.

"I don't know what to do," Rei says quietly. "That's why I called. I was hoping that maybe...maybe you could help."

Something comes to mind immediately, but Shou isn't quite sure it will work. His throat makes a light click as he dryly swallows. "I think I have an idea."

* * *

><p>"Good morning and welcome, my students. I'm Chancellor Sheppard, the headmaster here, and you are the best and brightest young duelists in the world!"<p>

In all honesty, Shou probably should be paying more attention to the name of his own headmaster, and quite frankly to the names of everyone that are apparently changing, but he's a bit too focused on trying not to stare at the people he's come to love the most to care. Of course, it would be fair enough to say that it is more like he can't bring himself to care to listen to a speech he's already heard in a different language. Really, nothing seems to have changed. Except the names and the language. Really, not that much.

Shou had abandoned the possibility of him _just _being in the past. This is obviously another reality, as strange as that sounds. Another reality that is almost identical, but just different enough to be noticeable. He payed just enough attention to hear about the assigned dorms, and he's sure that he'd scored low enough on the written exam to still be in the red dorm. Still, going back to the red dorm will be both nostalgic and uncomfortable. In fact, that is how most things feel. His relationships are one of the biggest problems. How could he act as if he doesn't know the best friend he's ever had? That he hasn't known him for years? How could he pretend that he hasn't already seen the deaths of almost all of his friends?

How could he pretend that he hasn't already known all of these people for at least three years?

Something else has been bothering him, though.

It was a bit difficult to realize it at first, since he was slightly preoccupied with understanding his situation, but he can barely remember anything about the past few days just before he was transported here. He remembers bits and pieces, but it's all very blurry. Thankfully, the memories are slowly coming back to him, but it's still worrying. What if something about his memories is important to getting out of this place and back to where he's supposed to be? Then again, maybe it isn't, and maybe he's just suffering from slight memory loss because of his brain being currently overloaded.

That line of thought just overloads his brain even _more_.

"Looks like I'm in the Slifer Red dorm!" Shou is glad that Jaden can't see his confused expression. Even the _God Cards _have different names? He'll have to be careful about what has changed and what hasn't - honestly, the small changes could make all of the difference. And if Shou wasn't freaking out about the whole _my name is different and now people are going to call me a different name_ thing, he'd have noticed Misawa walking up to them -

- and walking right past them as Jaden shifts and says, "What dorm are _you_ in, Syrus?" Oh...that's different. Probably not important enough of a change to worry about, though.

"I'm, uh, in the red dorm, too!" Misawa isn't there to correct Jaden, so he continues. "Since our uniforms are the same color as our dorm." It is still a little funny that it has to be explained, and he laughs lightly.

"Oh, so _that's_ why we're wearing red," Jaden replies from the other side of the statue. "Let's go check out the dorms, Sy!" Before he can even respond, Jaden already is taking off in the direction of the red dorms. Half bewildered and half amused, Shou runs after, carrying his bag with him.

Unsurprisingly, it looks exactly the same as the first time he'd seen it, and he can't help but break into a small grin when he reminisces about the years at his Duel Academy. Mostly the first year. There isn't much to fondly look back on in his second year. Actually, it was mostly his first and last that he could fully remember enjoying. Except for certain parts. But his high school life wasn't exactly the best, so that is to be expected. People say that your high school years are the best years of your life, but maybe those are the types of people who haven't been subjected to incredible amounts of magic and, well, death.

God, he isn't looking forward to repeating all of that.

"This is barely a dorm," Shou mutters, finally remembering just how thoroughly disappointed he was the first time he'd seen it.

"Are you kidding?" Jaden asks, laughing. "This place is great!"

He completely forgot what the inside of the dorm looked like before Manjoume's renovation. Needless to say, he is exhaustively dissatisfied. Isn't this a little ridiculous? The living conditions of Slifer Reds are barely even what one would calling living conditions. To get his mind off of it, he begins to instead think of what is actually _good_ about his situation. His family seems a good start – dammit, he hasn't seen his mother in, what, four years? On one hand, his relationship with his brother is considerably worse than before – though gladly not at its worst – and on the other hand, he won't have to take care of Ryo so much and monitor his medicinal intake.

Hell, Shou has literally memorized every type of medicine that Ryo has to take - which is, unsurprisingly, a lot. It takes all of Shou's willpower not to be a constant smartass and point out to Ryo that all of it is, in fact, _his own fault._ Then again, they are constantly arguing about Ryo not taking his damn medicine half the time and he of course could never hold the situation against him – everyone has their moment of weakness, after all; even the strongest of people. On the other hand, he isn't entirely sure if genuinely enjoying pain is a "moment of weakness." He decidedly ignores this train of thought.

He doesn't think he'll ever understand _how_ anyone can feel pleasure in pain. To each their own?

Of course, it did end in Ryo's _death_, so he supposes "to each their own" doesn't actually apply in this situation.

His mind then apparently decides to give him flashes of his friends dying. He is only one boy – one man – how can he do anything? How can he possibly stop what everyone has already gone through? For that matter, how might changing things affect everyone? Would it even be the right thing to do? He can't just sit back and let everything happen again – but if he doesn't do that, there are without a doubt going to be consequences. Judai won't grow up. He won't be reunited with his love, either. Shou changing things would be pretty selfish, now that he thinks about it.

"You know," Shou suddenly brings up, making Jaden turn around, "isn't this a little cool? You know, us meeting at the exams and then being roommates? I mean, this could really mean something big!" He decides not to bring up the suggestion of past lives as he did before (though, with the information from the other world, that may not actually be too far off) and Jaden still stares at him incredulously.

"Uh, sure, dude, whatever you say."

Shou blushes and looks away quickly, suddenly feeling just as silly as he did when they first met. They've known each other for three years, and they made memories together, right? Except they don't have the same memories - this isn't even Judai. Of course, though, it is, it is his face and his behaviors, even if it isn't his name or his voice. Three years of eating together and dueling and growing together and fighting together and living together and...well, nothing. Things that haven't happened yet. Everything Shou knows everything about, Jaden knows nothing about, and that is the worst thing about this place. He isn't entirely sure of how –

"What're you doing in my room?!"

– Shou jumps in surprise and snaps his head in the direction of the voice. Jaden steps back and lets out a yelp. "Who are _you_?"

"Chumley! Who are you and what are you doin' in my room?"

Shaking his head in disbelief, Shou smiles.

It has been _quite _some time since they've seen each other. The name is a bit odd, but so is every other name, so it isn't that big of a deal. For the next five or so minutes, Shou stands there uncomfortably as Chumley explains to them the dorm rankings. It is slightly awkward to hear him speak spitefully of the dorms when Shou has, in fact, been in all three of them and has genuinely enjoyed them all and could give evidence that not all of the best duelists are in Obelisk Blue and not all of the worst duelists are in Osiris – or Slifer Red. Obviously, no one knows that yet, though.

Silently Shou wonders exactly how long it would take for that to happen again, if ever.

* * *

><p>"You don't seem all that bummed about what Chumley said," Jaden cheerfully points out.<p>

Shrugging carelessly, the younger boy in red looks away. Do people really put that much value on a coat color? Looking back on it, yes, he concludes that they do. He did, too, in fact. Still, he's always been completely convinced that no matter what dorm Judai ended up in that he would be the absolute best duelist in the entire academy, so how much of that stuff did he really believe in? After smiling and turning his head back to Jaden, Sho replies. "I'm not. I doubt everyone who's in Slifer Red is the worst, and I doubt everyone who's in Obelisk Blue is the best. Isn't it mostly based on grades? Some people are great at dueling and bad at test taking. And either way, just because I started in Slifer Red doesn't mean I'll always be here. It's never too late to improve and move up!"

Suddenly, Jaden stops in surprise and raises his eyebrows. "You're a lot more confident than you look," he starts. "Optimistic, too! Man, your attitude just pumps me up!"

All Shou can do in response is smile tightly. That's the _complete opposite_ vibe he's giving off than the one he did when they originally met, but oh well, who cares?

Without warning, Jaden takes off in another direction, straight for the Obelisk Blue dorm. "Speaking of that," the older boy yells, "I can feel some duel action going on over here! I'm so in the mood for this!"

Shou laughs happily as he chases after his best friend. He almost forgot how much he truly admires Judai, and there he is, almost exactly the same and doing the exact same thing he had when they first met. What is the real difference other than the names? He might as well just be in the past. Honestly, it's great to see Judai again, even if it isn't actually Judai. It's close enough, and seeing the face of his best friend, no matter how young it is, is pretty great. Rei would have a field day in his situation. For that matter, almost all of his friends would.

It's almost a little unfair that he's the only one who can experience this. He doubts they would enjoy being thrown into the past, but seeing Judai is something everyone wanted to do - Johan especially.

Then, just like that, a memory comes back to him.

* * *

><p>"A high school reunion?"<p>

It's just like Manjoume to immediately dismiss the idea. Still, knowing him, he'll probably show up anyway. "Exactly. Mostly everyone's accepted the invitation already."

Just then, Manjoume laughs loudly. "Whatever. I'm sure everyone will be honored to see me, so I guess I can show my face there. Mail me the time and place."

Shou grins widely and hangs up the phone, crossing another name off the list. Thankfully, just about everyone is glad to be here for the reuinion. It seems like everyone's just as excited as he and Rei are to see everyone again. It might have been his idea in the first place to invite everyone from their school days here, but it really comes down to Rei's feelings that he's taking into account. This will at least give her the chance to reunite with everyone, and it will give Martin the chance to get some help from people who might understand his problem.

He's _really_ glad his friends have all been through the same messed up things.

"Shou, you've been calling people all day," says Ryo as he steps into the kitchen.

That's right! He hasn't spoken to his brother about it yet! In all of Shou's excitement, all he's done so far is list down the people he's needed to call in order to arrange everything.

"I know," he replies cheerfully. "Actually, I was talking to Rei about something earlier. One thing led to another and, well, we've decided to host a high school reunion!"

This throws Ryo off completely. "A high school reunion?" he questions. "Is it here?"

Shou shakes his head. "Not here - at Rei's place. You're invited, too."

The older brother puts on a tired smile and sits at their dining table. In all honesty, Shou really does want his brother to get out of the house. They both could do well with getting out; it isn't like they've exactly been busy lately. Ryo especially isn't exactly known for being a social person. Even with his health substantially improving lately, he doesn't have many close friends that he actively sees. Lately, Shou's been pushing him to get out of the house and to talk to people, but it's a little difficult dealing with a stubborn man at the age of twenty-five. It would be a miracle if Ryo were to actually agree to this -

"Great," Ryo says in response. "I'll be there."

Well, that's unexpected! It's welcome, though, and the rare moment of agreement between the two immediately brightens up Shou's day.

* * *

><p>Shou finds his face smacked directly into the back of Jaden, snapping him out of his daydream. For some reason, his head really hurts.<p>

"Ah, too cool..." at the sight of the large open area, the taller boy in red is struck with awe. "Wow...this is the sweetest dueling arena I've ever seen!"

"Oh - it is!" Finally, something Shou can talk about freely! He's always loved the Obelisk Blue dorm and everything offered to them. "It's - I mean, I've heard that it's amazing dueling here!"

Turning to him, Jaden replies. "Well, let's find out."

Wait, no. They can't duel here. "I don't think we're allowed, Jaden," Shou says nervously, seeing the boys dressed in blue approach them.

"Why not?" Jaden questions. "I'm sure that we're allowed. We're students here, and this is our campus, right?"

"Wrong. This is the _Blue Obelisk's _campus."

Cringing tightly, the young blue-haired boy turns to tune out what the two older boys condescendingly say. Eventually, just as it had happened before, the two try to immediately kick them out of the dorm's dueling arena. It makes sense, honestly, and Shou can almost empathize with the boys in blue. He's been in the blue dorm before, and it's easy to believe that you and only you deserve the privileges given to those in the blue dorm for the reason of who's in there. For those who have connections or get in for good grades, they almost always have a superiority complex right off the bat. For people who are lucky enough to scrape their way up the ladder, like Shou, it's easy to get into the mentality of being someone who thinks only hard workers like them deserve to have what the blue dorm has.

Of course, then there are people like Judai, who is a great duelist and just ends up not excelling in academic aspects.

Eventually, they recognize Jaden. "Chazz, that applicant who beat Doctor Crowler is here! Check it out!"

Those are _two_ people's names Shou doesn't recognize. Doctor Crowler must be Chronos, of course - Shou can't remember anyone else who Jaden's dueled so far, after all, so that's pretty easy to deduce. Chazz, though? Is that...

His suspicions are confirmed when the boy steps out. Manjoume. He looks strange, now that Shou thinks about it, in the blue uniform. It isn't until now that Shou realizes that the majority of the time he's known Manjoume, he's almost constantly been in his unique and perpetually dirty black coat. Jaden and Chazz exchange greetings in the form of half-friendly banter until they're just about to duel.

"This sure is a motley crew."

Shou mentally slaps himself for not remembering this. "Asuka," he says under his breath, earning a raised eyebrow from Jaden.

Before the taller boy can say anything, though, Chazz speaks up. "Hey, Alexis. Have you come to watch me mop the floor with my new little friend, Jaden, here?" his voice is a combination of flirtatious and righteous. "It'll be a short duel, but an entertaining one, for sure."

Entertaining is right.

"I'm here to remind you about the Obelisk welcome dinner. You're late," Alexis says bluntly. With that, Chazz and the other two are off.

Then, she turns to both Shou and Jaden. "Sorry if Chazz rubbed you the wrong way. All of us Obelisks aren't like that. He's just a jerk," her brows furrow in silent fury, "_especially_ with Slifers."

Before he can think to actually consider his actions, Shou replies. "I know," he says quietly.

"What?"

Their eyes are immediately on him then, and he tenses up. "Uh - I mean, I'm assuming Obelisk Blues aren't all like that," with a grin, he looks up. "It's unfair to judge all people based off of a dorm color, after all."

Her eyes widen. Looking back, whenever Zane talked about his younger brother, it was always to address how pessimistic and cowardly he is. This small, yet upbeat and happy boy doesn't seem to fit the bill at all. He's just too...different, she supposes. Syrus actually seems confident - he carries himself with a carelessness that only Obelisk Blues seem to have. Him, and that Jaden guy, they both have that about them. Looking down at him, she smiles. It's actually pretty refreshing to see this sort of attitude in the new students. This year surely will be interesting.

At least the new duelists seem to have a better mindset.

"The Slifer welcome dinner's about to start, too," Alexis says with a smirk.

"Right," exclaims Jaden. "We better go, Sy."

They take off, but the older boy stops on his tracks as their at the doorway and turns. "Oh!" he yells. "What was your name again?"

"Alexis Rhodes! And yours?"

"The name's Jaden!" just like before, they hit it off right away. "Alright, see ya around!"

* * *

><p>Do people actually think their headmaster is a cat?<p>

Sure, Shou admits, the living conditions of the red dorm has never been good, but to completely disregard supervision isn't like Samejima at all.

Fuck Samejima, though.

Still, it's a shock when Daitokuji comes out and introduces himself as "Professor Banner." Jaden, just as he had done before, begins eating far too early. Seeing him so young and doing exactly what he would do were he years younger is a little strange. Judai's changed a lot throughout the years - he's basically a completely different person. Then again, almost everyone is, in comparison to who they were in high school. Everyone generally turned out okay, but everyone had to go through some serious hardships during the time of high school.

"I tell ya, Professor Banner sure can cook!" content, Jaden rubs his stomach as Shou makes tea for the two of them.

"Hey..." what was his name again? "Chumley! Do you want some tea?"

The sheets of the bed shuffle furiously as Chumley replies. "Did I _say_ I was thirsty?"

"I only asked," snaps Shou as he grits his teeth. "You don't have to be rude." He's so tired of people throwing his kindness in his face. Is it really necessary? All he's ever tried to do is live his own life and be polite, and he's almost always ever been treated with anger and contempt and unrealistic expectations. It's just tiring, and he's immediately in the mood to have a beer to take his mind off of it. Really, he can only think soundly and without nervousness when he's drinking. He really misses that, more than he ever thought he would.

"Tea makes you wet the bed," Chumley explains. "Not that I do - or ever did - I mean - I'm trying to sleep!"

Just then, Jaden gets an e-mail voice message from Chazz. Without a doubt, it's him trying to challenge Jaden to a duel at midnight. Even though Chumley tries to advise against going to duel the Obelisk Blue, Jaden is nothing if he isn't ecstatic about dueling someone he believes is a real challenge. His excitement is endearing, and it's nice to see a healthy and friendly competitive nature in someone instead of outright jealousy. It's there in Johan, too, which is why he and Judai became fast friends. Still, he won't end up getting an ending to the duel, since they'll be caught before it can happen.

"If that's Chazz you're dueling," says Chumley from behind them, "all you've got is trouble."

* * *

><p>"Well, well, well," there Chazz is, standing in the middle of the dueling arena, "he shows."<p>

_He always shows_, is what Shou thinks to himself.

Their banter continues, and the duel commences. It goes almost the exact same as it had the first time, with Chazz's first monster being the same as Manjoume's first monster.

Then, he hears a noise. Shou isn't sure what it is, exactly - it sounds like some...high-pitched whine. It probably doesn't mean much, and Shou's attention is directly on the card Jaden just summoned. His first turn brings on Flamed Wingman, triggering Chazz's trap card - Hell Polymer, he remembers. Here, it's called Cthonian Polymer, though. It's a bit weird that Shou can so easily accept that the name of a card has been inexplicably changed. Still, with everything that's happened, it isn't that difficult to realize that it might not be the exact same as it originally would be. That card, though, unfortunately gives Chazz control of Jaden's card.

Alexis appears then to explain just that.

Before the third turn is over, Chazz has already taken out half of Jaden's life points. It doesn't matter much, though - Shou already knows that it doesn't.

"You don't look so worried," notices Alexis.

"Oh," Shou replies. "I'm not, actually. Jaden loves this kind of thing, after all. He'll be fine - nothing and no one can keep _him_ down."

This surprises her. "You seem to know him pretty well."

"Well," he stumbles over his words. "It's pretty easy to get to know him. Besides, something tells me he'll do just fine."

And with Mirror Gate, Jaden remains in the battle. However, the latter ends up with 550 life points left. By the end of the turn, Shou hears the quiet and high-pitched noise again as Jaden stares fondly at the card in his hand. He's just about to play a card when Alexis urgently speaks.

"U-uh, guys!" she says loudly, "we've got company! Campus security. If they find us all in here, we'll get seriously busted."

"Why?" stutters Jaden. "We're all students here."

Quickly she pulls out her school PDA. "The rules say no off-hour arena duels. Chazz knows that, but let me guess - he didn't tell you."

Without any more arguments, they all retreat. It takes some force to get Jaden out of the arena, though. It helps a lot that Alexis knows a back route to get out of the arena - it's used mainly for emergencies, but she's familiar enough with the blue dorm that she knows essentially everything about it.

"You certainly are stubborn, Jaden," Alexis remarks.

"Only about my dueling."

"I'm sorry that you didn't get to finish your match with Chazz."

Even though it doesn't really matter.

"It's okay," Jaden replies off-handedly. "I know just how it would have ended, anyway."

"Really?" her tone is amused and curious. "No offense, but from my point of view, it looked like it could have gone either way between you and Chazz when you guys stopped."

Without hesitation, Jaden grins. "No way! Not after I drew this." He flips over the card, revealing Monster Reborn. It makes sense to her suddenly - he would have summoned Flame Wingman and attacked, winning the duel. In the end, he actually would have defeated Chazz. It's a bit of a shock, even though she knew there was a huge possibility that he could do it. The knowledge that he was inevitably going to win is different from there being a probability of it. That would make two people from the Obelisk Dorm that Jaden has beaten - one of them being a dorm leader.

After Jaden leaves, Alexis takes it upon herself to stop Syrus before he can leave. "You knew he would win, didn't you?"

"Huh?" Shou looks over in confusion. "Oh, I didn't really _know_. I had a feeling, sure. That's only because I can tell he's different, though."

With a smile, Alexis looks over to the retreating Jaden. "You know something, Syrus?" her gaze is admiring and fascinated. "I think you're right."

* * *

><p>"Anything new, Alexis?"<p>

Shaking her head, she closes the door to Zane's room. "I'm not sure. Maybe. All I know is that your brother is really good at predicting things."

"Predicting things?" that catches Zane's attention. "What do you mean?"

Innocently, she shrugs. "Jaden Yuki is his roommate. He just dueled against Chazz. He would have won, too, if we weren't stopped by campus security."

"That definitely is interesting. Jaden might be a worthy opponent."

"Wanna know the _strangest _thing? Syrus knew from the very beginning that Jaden would win."

When Zane's smile leaves his face, there's a pause. The silence leaves them both in an earie state. As the days go by, Syrus Truesdale is getting more and more suspicious. Still, doesn't Zane have more important things to worry about than the actions of his little brother? Either way, Alexis is worried about her best friend and about Jaden. Those two seem to be the ones closest to Syrus. For that reason, they might be affected by whatever weird things might happen around him. Even if it's a stretch that the kid is acting weird on purpose, it's still something to at least consider.

"You're right, Alexis," says Zane in a tone that almost sounds sad. "That _is_ strange."


	3. A Duel in Confusion

**A/N**: man I am on fire today. probably. to KisunaFuji: you are so great ily. I noticed you reviewed this story when I posted it back then, and it's so great to see that you're still into it. how have you been these two years? also the thing with Zane not being there for three years I was actually going to address later on - nice job catching it, though!

in this chapter: Shou begins to regain his memories, Jaden is suspicious, Alexis becomes friends with Slifers, and Crowler was fucking shit up all along.

* * *

><p>"It's so nice to see everyone," Rei says. She looks the happiest she's been in months, and it's refreshing to see that their plan of helping reunite everyone has worked.<p>

They're standing just outside of her house and on the balcony, music blazing from the ajar door. Parties were never really Shou's thing, and even though this is quite the special occasion, he still feels the need to get some air.

Nodding in response to her, Shou smiles. It's almost a miracle that they've managed to get almost everyone from their high school days to arrive for the reunion. If anything, Shou thought that maybe a couple would show, but apparently everyone ended up wanting to see each other. He looks down and thinks while swirling the drink in his hand. People like Asuka and Rei already live near him and he sees them almost all the time, so they were the easiest to get. Manjoume was unsurprisingly agreeable about the whole ordeal - if anyone would want to see friends from high school, it likely would be him, after all. Still, not everyone who arrived ended up being likely attendees.

Edo and Saiou, for example, are two people Shou thought might be a little too busy. However, they both ended up agreeing. In fact, they're inside right now, talking to Shou's older brother.

How Ryo and Edo came to be such good friends is beyond the younger Marufuji's comprehension.

There are other unexpected arrivals, too. Jim Cook and Austin O'Brien essentially are sticking to each other the entire time, which is understandable - out of everyone, they probably developed the closest friendship during the time that they were all in the alternate dimension. For the first half of the night, Shou was almost nonstop dueling with Kenzan, who is without a doubt the life of the party. Even though he's been out of town, it didn't take much to convince Fubuki of all people to attend a get-together. Hell, even Hayato showed up, and he's looking better than ever.

Martin is here, too, and it's clear that with all of his nervousness, he's still happy to see everyone.

"Speaking of seeing everyone," she speaks while turning in the direction of the balcony door, "I should probably get back to Martin."

With a wave, she's off, and when she opens the door, Shou can swear he hears her say "sorry," for some reason. That reason becomes apparent when a certain person steps outside and talks in an anxious voice. "Shou. I'm glad you're out here. Can I talk to you for a second?" It's clear who it is before he turns around to see.

Johan Andersen.

It's not a surprise to see Johan, exactly. Shou was the one to make the calls, after all, so he already knows that Johan is supposed to be here. What _does _surprise him is how the older boy _looks _- and, not to be rude, but he looks like absolute shit. He's uncharacteristically slouched over, his blue hair is tussled, and the bags under his eyes make him look like he hasn't slept in days. It's a bit strange, because it's almost the exact same as how Martin looks now. Have that many people been doing so terribly? Maybe that's the reason that everyone agreed so readily to see each other.

"Sure," replies Shou. "Is something bothering you?"

"Well, sort of," he averts his eyes and rubs the back of his head. "I really like seeing everyone and all, but I was actually expecting to..."

At the older man trailing off, Shou raises an eyebrow and leans back on the railing. "Is it something I can help with?"

Johan coughs awkwardly. "Actually," he politely confesses, "I came here to see Judai. I haven't seen him at all, though. Is he here?"

Oh...

Of course, it's almost a surprise that it's taken this long for someone to ask about Judai. Then again, almost everyone expected that he wouldn't show up - after all, Shou has no way of actually contacting him. No one really knows exactly where Judai is at any given moment in time. Even though it would be amazing for everyone to see the former best duelist in their school, it's simply an impossibility. If anyone were to ask about where Judai is, though, it makes sense that it would be Johan of all people. Their relationship was one that got far too close far too fast - still, they remain friends, just as Judai remains friends with everyone else.

Solemnly, though, Shou shakes his head. "I'm sorry. He's not here."

How Johan's face falls is heartbreaking. Did he really expect that Shou would be able to get ahold of him? Then again, Shou is known as Judai's best friend, so it isn't that difficult to come to that conclusion. "Are you okay?" he finds himself asking. "I know we all want to see Judai again, but - "

"It isn't about him!"

The outburst more than shocks Shou. In all of the time that he's known Johan, he's never seen the normally cheerful and quiet boy so snappy and aggitated. Immediately, Johan relaxes and his expression turns apologetic and his eyes widen. With heavy movements, he moves to lean on the door, closing it completely. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he keeps repeating, as if he's done something horrible. With a loud groan, he covers his face with his hands and stops talking entirely, filling the air with an uncomfortable silence. For a few moments, they stay like that.

"...what is it about, then?" the smaller man asks calmly.

Taking his hands away from his face finally, Johan lets out a breath. "I need to talk to Yubel."

It seems that Johan is having a tendency to surprise Shou tonight. Yubel seems like the _last_ person he'd want to talk to - not that they're on particularly bad terms, but it seemed to Shou that they didn't actually have terms at all. He used to just be under the impression that they were just coexisting instead of getting along or fighting. "Yubel?" Shou questions with furrowed eyebrows. "Why would you need to talk to Yubel?"

"It's..." the older man sighs as his shoulders drop. "It's a long story."

* * *

><p>Shou sits in his seat, bored, only half-listening to Asuka talk on about monster cards, trap cards, and magic cards. He <em>knows<em> this stuff already.

One of the many things that he hates about being in the past is that he probably would be the highest in the class, just because he's already learned this, if he actually tries to. It doesn't seem fair to anyone else, so he tries his hardest not to be called on. However, knowing what happened the first time around, he sighs and waits patiently to be inevitably called on. He remembers that Chronos asked him about...wait, what was it? It's been a little too long for him to remember something so insignificant from his first day of high school. Oh well, it doesn't matter much. He can probably answer it correctly, anyways.

"You alright, Sy?" It's Jaden's voice that snaps Shou out of his absent mental state. When he looks over at the other boy in red, Jaden continues. "You've been staring at that card for ten minutes."

Shou's face goes completely pink when he realizes what he has in his hand. Power Bond. Whenever he's at a complete loss, it seems like he just looks at this card - it's the only thing he still has that is a positive reminder of his relationship with his brother. "I'm fine," he whispers back. He really is, in all honesty. The easiest thing for him to do now is remember. Even if it doesn't make a whole lot of sense that he's here and that certain, small things are different, thinking about it too much might just make him lose it completely.

"Hm…now who should we question next…?" Professor Crowler asked himself, looking out for new meat. "You! Syrus Truesdale!"

Huh? Who's Syrus Truesdale? Oh, well. Shou continues staring intently at the card, tuning out the words of his teacher. God, even he looks young now...

"Explain to the class what a field spell is, please," Crowler demands.

Jaden quickly nudges Shou's side. "Uh, Sy..." he trails off while pointing to the expectant teacher. Immediately, Shou stands.

"U-uh," with an anxious smile on his face, Shou tries to remember exactly what it was that he was asked. Ugh - why wasn't he listening? "Sorry, can you repeat the question?"

Crowler's eyes narrow in irritation. "Explain what a field spell is," he repeats through gritted teeth.

"Oh, right!" finally, Shou recognizes the question. "A field spell changes the field and state of play for both the user and the opponent, usually centering around boosting a monster's attack or defense. They are placed in the field card zone," Sho replied uninterested. It wasn't difficult for him this time, he knew what it was and he didn't have the confidence problem that he used to.

Both annoyed and amused, Crowler looks away and grins. "Yes, yes, very good. Perhaps if you were paying attention, you would have answered sooner," he looks down and shakes his head as he mutters under his breath, "Slifer slackers..."

That sends everyone not wearing red into a fit of laughter. Not all too concerned, Shou shrugs and sits down before hearing Jaden's reply.

"You know somethin', teach?" he casually begins. "You really shouldn't go and make fun of us Slifers like that. I mean, I'm a Slifer, and I beat you. So, when you make fun of us, you're really making fun of yourself."

That sends the whole class into a fit of laughter, including Shou. He almost forgot how good Judai really is at comebacks. After their giggles die down, Shou smiles and goes back to reminiscing, all while staring at Power Bond.

* * *

><p>"So, as some of you students know, my name is Professor Lyman Banner. I specialize in…"<p>

Shou stops listening halfway through. He's not really sure how to deal with this version of Daitokuji; he knows it'll be difficult not telling anyone about the bad things that might happen or people they might meet, but what if that's different, too? Shou knows that he'll have a hard time not referring to their professor as Daitokuji, too. It's a miracle that he's managed not calling anyone by the wrong name thus far. If anything, he expected it already to have happened. Shaking his head, he decides to tune back into the introductory lecture.

Duel alchemy…always has interested Shou, but he's a bit afraid of using it. That's how it is for any type of magic. Then again, he doesn't use magic.

Suddenly, Banner looks toward Shou and smiles. "Syrus, do me a favor and grab Pharaoh, would you?"

"Ph-Pharaoh…?" The cat! Right!

"...Unless you are minoring as a scratch post."

Shou looks down, still a bit startled that said cat is right at his feet. How can he have forgotten about the cat already? Well, it is his first day, and it _has_ been around seven years...

* * *

><p>"…Hm? I wonder where Sy is?" Jaden asks quietly to himself. His eyes wander around for a bit before looking straight at his gym instructor.<p>

_Maybe he just got lost…_

In all honesty, Shou is actually running late on purpose. He's focusing, trying to remember, when he stops and bursts for his locker. What happened last time around is something he can't change. He'll have to find the love letter on Jaden's shoes and think it's for him, but it's really a fake set up by Doctor Crowler. He'll go to the girl's dorm and be taken hostage. Jaden will then duel Alexis and everything will go along normally, just like it did the first time it happened. Almost everything up to now has been completely spot-on the same. Still, his heart races as his feet race to his locker.

Thank _god_ the letter is in there.

Since he's late, gym class goes by fairly quickly, and the day is almost over before he knows it.

He enters the dorm before Jaden can arrive, greeted by a relaxing Chumley. "What's up with you? You look like someone's out to get ya or somethin'."

"Huh?" just like that, Shou is aware of how stressed he looks. "I'm fine, I just - uh, I have something to do. I'll see you in a while."

Without waiting for a response, he rushes out the door and toward the docks, where he unties a boat. It isn't him that Crowler is looking for, so he won't immediately get in trouble when he goes to see Alexis. The ride over there doesn't take too long, but some time on the water gives him the opportunity to think. As he quietly rows along, his mind floats back to trying to get out of his situation. If he's trapped in an alternate dimension somehow, he needs to find some way to get back as soon as possible. He's really not looking forward to repeating three of the most detrimental years of his life.

What if it's him? What if he's just...imagining all of this?

The force from his sudden stop knocks the thought out of his head. He's reached shore, apparently. With a relieved smile, he shakes his head; this can't be in his imagination. It all feels too real.

Shou slips through the gate, and Crowler lets out a loud yell when he sees it isn't who he was attempting to lure. Without warning, a horde of girls swarm Shou, and his arms are twisted behind his back.

A large group of half-dressed teenage girls are right in front of him _and_ grabbing him. If he wasn't twenty-three years old, he might be enjoying this.

As it is now, though, he is. He also has some more important things to do. "I can explain why I'm here," he attempts to say calmly. "I just need to talk to Alexis!"

Soon enough, he's inside of the building and only Alexis and her friends are standing in front of him. It takes a while, but he eventually gets them to calm down enough to let him say exactly why he's here. He's glad they're all at the top of their class - each and every one of them seem to be just as understanding and willing to hear him out as they are angry. "Listen," he says while pulling out the letter from his locker, "I found this. It was in my locker, but it's addressed to Jaden Yuki and signed by Alexis. Somehow, I doubt you'd send him something like this, so I decided to come out here to see if it's a trap."

They take the letter out of his hands, read it over, and chatter among themselves. After some convincing, Alexis comes up with the idea of luring Jaden out.

"Before we do this," she says as the other girls leave to send Jaden a hostage message. "I want to know what you think. Am I going to win this?"

The young boy snaps his head up at the question. "O-oh, uh..." aw, hell, she's onto him. He can't very well just lie, though, since she'd probably know, so he puts on a series face. "No, I don't think you will."

All she does is nod in response and carry him over to the dock.

* * *

><p>Shou decides he isn't a huge fan of being tied up.<p>

Still, it's rather nice of the girls to allow him to be in the same boat as Jaden as he and Alexis duel. It's an even closer duel than the one between him and Chazz, and they're both equally sporting of each other. Their skills are almost equally matched to each other, and it's amazing how well they work off of each other during their dueling even before they're close friends. Shou realizes even now how easy it might be for Asuka to fall in love with Judai, since they have such great chemistry with each other. It's a serious shame that Judai's soul-mate is a demonic spirit.

But no matter how well they match each other in strength, Jaden wins out in the end, and they're free to go.

"It's way too late now!" exclaims Shou. "We'll never get enough sleep."

In response, Jaden only laughs as they walk into the dorm. "Aw, sure, but I don't think I'd give it up. Besides, we can just sleep in class."

"Maybe _you_ can..." even as he is now, the young man isn't all too interested in completely dropping his grades.

Without any further discussion, they both drop into their beds. Shou falls fast asleep.

And dreams of nothing.

He finally feels himself completely waking up around the time of his free period. Before this, he's just barely been staying awake in his classes. Some people stand in the halls, exchanging cards or talking about class, while others seem off in their own worlds; still others are busy doing personal things, such as reading, writing, or drawing. It's a very normal day, and it feels weird. It's a lot like how it shouldn't be at a place like Duel Academy. In truth, in a very perverse and bitter manner, Shou isn't used to a standard, normal, or regular day. Every few seconds, he looks over his shoulder, eternally expecting something to happen to him - or, even worse, Jaden. Jaden is more vital to Shou than Shou is to himself, and he would willingly, candidly declare it.

Jaden is turning out to be more like Judai than he first assumed he would, so Shou is just as protecting over him.

Then again, Jaden is, in theory, still Judai.

He shakes off the thought. No need to be thinking of such things, now. Not when there's a boy in yellow walking right up to him.

"Your grades are the second-highest in the class, only passed up by mine," the voice says. Immediately, Shou turns.

Misawa, of all people, is standing there with his arms crossed. "In fact, yours may even surpass mine. I look forward to having you in the Ra Yellow dorm in the near future, as well as an opponent. I'm sure that you would put on quite the show."

"I'm pretty sure that you're a wonderful duelist, too," Shou replies happily. "And I do hope to duel you in the future, but I don't have any intention of leaving the red dorm any time soon."

A shocked and disappointed look crosses Misawa's face. "Really? Why on Earth not?"

The real reason is that he doesn't want anything major to change. If anything, Shou would like to keep as many things the exact same as possible. It's a little bit of an impossible dream, since so many things are already so different and without his influence, but it's worth a shot. Nothing significant seems different, at least. The reason he gives, though, is different. "Actually, I've noticed something about this school. Have you seen the red dorm? What we're in can barely be called living conditions. All I'm trying to do is..." he searches his brain to find something plausible. "I'm trying to conduct an experiment."

Surprisingly, Misawa nods his head in understanding. "You're right," he says. "The idea that our living conditions should reflect our grades is a flawed system based off of the idea that grades are the only important things to consider in regards to future education and success. How fascinating that no one has noticed this before..."

"Hey, Syrus, Bastion, what's up?" Jaden asks, running up to them. "It's almost time for our next class. Don't want to be late, am I right?" he chuckles lightly.

Shou smiles, relieved. "Y-yeah…let's go!" with a wave, he sees Misawa off, who is still lost deep in thought. "See you later!"

This is the day that they will have their first exams. It all seems so…sudden. Shou, if he is to pass it like he knows he is sure to, will undoubtedly be offered a place in Ra Yellow. He won't accept, but that might cause something of a controversy. The last thing Shou wants now is to draw attention to himself.

Once the test starts, Jaden falls asleep. Rolling his eyes, Shou continues the test, but can't stop a smile creeping up on his face. Alexis, a few rows away, glares straight at Jaden, probably silently reprimanding him for sleeping during a test. When the test is finished, Jaden remains asleep. Everyone else rushes straight out of the room. Well, almost everyone.

Misawa walks over, glancing once at Jaden and then averting his eyes towards Shou. "You let your friend sleep during a test like this?"

Shou huffs. "He probably wouldn't wake up, anyways…but I'm sure he'll do great in the field test."

"You should hope so. I do wonder if we would be facing each other. Either way, are you not going to get the new rare cards?"

Shou stops, looking to the ground. "The cards…might not appreciate many new adjustments. Er, as in, it would probably…throw off my deck's balance," He says. It isn't quite true, but it's something he's lived up to now almost religiously by. The only reason he even has that mentality is because of how picky his own deck is supposed to be - not the one he has, but the one he's supposed to have. It hurts that he no longer has his old deck, the conglomeration of his own and his brother's, but he supposes that it can't be helped. If he upsets the cards and throws off the balance of his own deck, it doesn't exactly react kindly.

As his deck is now, it won't do that, but his mind keeps going back to his actual deck. If he were to do something like that, it probably would start sending those shocks in Shou again, just like how it did the first time around. He remembers feeling the strange surge of power go through his body. It felt bad and painful, but it was something he had to deal with.

Misawa's smile drops slightly. "Yes, that's exactly how I feel. Perhaps we are not so different, after all."

Shou looks up, somewhat shocked. "M-maybe…you're right."

Smirking brightly again, he goes over to shake Jaden. "You might want to consider waking up."

Jaden awakens, surprised. "H-hey, where'd everyone go?"

"They went to get new cards. You might want to catch up before they're all gone," Misawa informs him, smirking smugly.

"…Then let's get going! There's nothing like the fresh smell of new cards in the mornin'!" Jaden cries out happily, rushing out of the room, leaving only Misawa and Shou.

There's silence for a few moments, the two just staring at each other.

"So, you are Syrus Truesdale? Zane Truesdale's brother?"

"Who's – Oh, right, yes. Zane…is my brother. Why do you ask?" The yellow-clad teenager raised an eyebrow at the reaction.

With a shrug, Misawa looks away. "I just was thinking of how you seem to be living up to your name. You seem to be quite the talented duelist."

Shou hums lightly, standing and making his way to the door. "It doesn't really feel like it's _my_ name I'm living up to, though," he mutters, guilt lacing his voice.

With that, he goes to make his way to the testing area, leaving Misawa in confusion.


End file.
